Douglas Huffel
Douglas Huffel is the protagonist from the 2019 film 'Hang On To Your Hanger-Ons'. Played by Peter Tripovich, he is a retired dentist with no family ties and with few friends. Characterisation Douglas is leading a fairly unfulfilled and directionless life in the wake of his retirement from the dentistry business. His unambitious nature would force him to continue this life until Arthur Redding presents him with a goal and a purpose to put his efforts into. Up until this encounter, Douglas' biggest priority was to enter his mug design into the state competition, but that goes totally by the wayside due to this new goal. Douglas can really give the perception that he is knowledgable and in control, when this is all an act that can unravel very quickly when the pressure is on. What he was lacking most in his career was respect. This is what he seeks most desperately, and he realises that a feared and powerful criminal has the ultimate respect from the people around him. When he's not trying to impress someone, he can act in a very normal and friendly matter. Trust is important to him, and when he feels betrayed, he can fly into a rage without thinkingly sensibly about what he's saying or doing. After his brief and minor exchanges with genuine criminals, he has learnt how best to utilise his slight of hand through crafty manoeuvres. This is most evident when being able to quickly retrieve the bottle from his sleeve with one movement, and also we'll hiding cards to cheat at Euchre. Generally, Douglas is a regular retiree that is wanting to be respected by someone. Without the encounter with Arthur, it's very likely that Douglas would go on with his life, never taking any steps or risks in order to reach the respect he never gained in his professional life. Character Connections Arthur Redding When Arthur first reaches out, Douglas has no idea what it could be regarding. Arthur is a former patient of Douglas and they haven't spoken in years, and even when they had, it was only as acquaintances. Once Douglas understands the meaning of the meeting, he instantly goes into his persona as someone who is well versed as criminal at a high level. Douglas sees his plan as a risk-free way to achieve the status he wants, with Arthur being none the wiser as to what has really happened. In Douglas' eyes, Arthur is a bit like a protégé to him, wanting to learn how the criminal system works. Douglas can also see Arthur as a blank canvas, someone he is yet to really make up their mind as to how the perceive Douglas. He is a perfect opportunity to get respect from, and Douglas won't even need to break the law to do it. Trent Ghest By the time Douglas first comes in contact with Trent, he is really down and out, not wanting to engage in any of the basic chit chat that might take place in a first encounter. Douglas is much more interested in reading the write-up in the newspaper on the police investigation than he is in Trent, until he puts the pieces together and then slips right back into his persona of being cunning and crafty. He now sees Trent as the solution to his problems, but also as a potential threat that is yet to be alerted. Benny Trimble Benny is someone Douglas has known for many years but they've never really been friends. Douglas has always maintained that there is a mutual respect that these two have, when in reality, it is Douglas who greatly admires Benny for his general criminal exploits while Benny simply thinks of Douglas as just someone he worked with briefly many years ago. Benny says he's now only working as a getaway driver on weekends, and the kind of job Douglas has convinced to come along on is nothing more than a routine job as far as Benny is concerned. Douglas has specifically hired Benny for the job, knowing it will impress Arthur to see Douglas being in charge of an operation with such an experienced getaway driver on board. When the job is over, although Douglas suggests they "meet up and talk about the good old days", Benny clearly has no intention of spending any time with Douglas unless it's on a paid job. Geoff Ruks One of the only true friends Douglas has, Geoff is someone who seems to ready to help Douglas whenever their paths cross. Although they only meet twice inside the Bottle Mouth, Geoff normally goes out of his way to interact with Douglas, even when Douglas is in the process of executing his plan. Douglas is generally put at ease by Geoff's presence and appreciates the camaraderie they have. Joe Winnes When meeting Joe, Douglas can see someone with some similarities to himself. Joe is good-natured and is pitching from the moment he sits down with Douglas to discuss the jacket. Items of Importance Box The box Douglas is packing is the same one that makes multiple appearances throughout the film. During the opening credit sequence, he is walking to the post office in order to deliver it. It ends up in the hands of the postal delivery men, Will Knets and Cary Henderson. It is then stolen from them by Trent Ghest only to end up in the hands of the police later in the film. Jacket After reading about the jacket in the newspaper, Douglas meets with the seller, Joe Winnes, in order to get a closer look at it. Joe claims that it is a Navy Seal jacket that fisherman use often to go fishing with due to it's durability and protective pockets. After acquiring this jacket, Douglas remains wearing it for the rest of the film, and it becomes a crucial component in his plan to plant the money. It also of use to him on occasions such as cheating at Euchre.